The Member of Parliament for Abirem and Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Communications Committee, Ambassador Charles Owiredu, has accused the John Mahama-led NDC government of quietly introducing new taxes while Ghanaians were observing the National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving.
According to him, the government took advantage of the solemn moment to impose new levies without public notice.
In a post shared on social media on Wednesday, July 2, Ambassador Owiredu listed five separate hikes: a 2.45% increase in electricity tariffs (bringing the total to 17.2%), a 15% VAT on non-life insurance, a 7% tax on plastic products, a 5% rise in diesel prices, and a 2% increase in petrol prices.
“President Mahama and the NDC government asked us to observe a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving yesterday. But as we bowed our heads in prayer, they quietly approved the following increases:
1. Electricity tariffs up by 2.45%, bringing the total increase to 17.2%
2. A 15% VAT on non-life insurance
3. A 7% tax on plastic products
4. Diesel prices up by 5%
5. Petrol prices up by 2%
We finished praying, only to be hit with these burdens. Next time…” he wrote.
Adding her voice, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communication team, Dr. Ekua Amoakoh, has criticised the government for what she described as a clear contradiction between its promises and recent tax policies.
She said the Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, assured during his vetting that he would not rely on taxes to raise revenue.
This promise, she claims, has been broken following the imposition of the new taxes under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
